FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART AND PRIOR ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnosis and therapy (treatment) system having an ultrasonic probe which is inserted into a body cavity or coelom to emit an observation ultrasonic wave and a therapeutic ultrasonic wave.
Generally, various kinds of ultrasonic therapy apparatuses have conventionally been proposed in which ultrasonic pulses are repeatedly sent or transmitted into organism tissues from ultrasonic transducers, echoes of the ultrasonic pulses which are reflected from the organism tissues are received by the ultrasonic transducers which are provided integrally with each other or separately from each other, and a direction in which the ultrasonic pulses are transmitted and received is gradually shifted, whereby information which is collected from a plurality of directions within the organism is displayed as visible ultrasonic tomographic or ultrasonogram images.
It is general that such ultrasonic diagnosis apparatuses are due to external ultrasonic probes.
However, probes which are combined with endoscopes, and internal ultrasonic probes such as ultrasonic probes having thin diameters, coelom ultrasonic proves inserted into the coelom, or the like, are also used widely.
Meanwhile, various kinds of ultrasonic therapy apparatuses have also been proposed such as calculus crushing apparatuses, ultrasonic thermotherapy apparatuses or the like in which various kinds of therapies are conducted by focusing the ultrasonic wave. Of these therapy apparatuses due to the ultrasonic wave, there have been ultrasonic high-temperature therapy apparatuses in which organism tissues such as cancer or carcinoma tissues or the like are instantaneously cauterized in high temperature and are treated by the focused ultrasonic wave of high strength or intensity.
As the ultrasonic high-temperature therapy apparatuses, an arrangement has been known which is provided with an internal probe building therein an ultrasonic transducer of relatively small size, and which is inserted into a rectum to treat a hypertrophied prostate, in addition to an arrangement in which ultrasonic wave is focused onto an object part from an external applicator which has an ultrasonic transducer wide in opening, in order to acquire a focused ultrasonic wave having high intensity.
For example, disclosed in PCT WO93/16641 is an arrangement in which an ultrasonic transducer which is capable of conducting linear and sector scanning is arranged at a distal end of a probe, and an ultrasonic wave having weak energy is scanned to acquire an observation image, to thereby detect a position of an object part to be treated and, thereafter, the position of the ultrasonic transducer is so set as to be capable of irradiating the ultrasonic wave to the object part to be treated, and the ultrasonic wave having strong or high energy is irradiated to conduct therapy.
This first prior-art example has the possibility that function thereof is dropped or reduced less than case where exclusive ultrasonic transducers are provided, because the ultrasonic transducers are used for observation and for therapy, respectively.
For example, in case where observation is conducted the energy strength may be weak and, accordingly, the size of the ultrasonic transducer may be small or low.
Meanwhile, in case where therapy is conducted, a high ultrasonic wave becomes necessary or is required and, accordingly, it is better that the size of the ultrasonic transducer is large as far as possible. Further, it is necessary to scan the ultrasonic wave in order to conduct the observation.
Accordingly, in order to cause the ultrasonic transducer to have both functions like the prior art example, it will be required to or be necessary to make the relatively large ultrasonic transducer to an Moreover, in order to position an irradiation part of the ultrasonic transducer so as to be capable of irradiating the therapeutic ultrasonic wave toward the object part to be treated, it is required that scanning is first made by the ultrasonic wave having weak or low energy and, thereafter, an irradiation direction is locked to the object part.
There is the possibility that, if there is relative movement between the probe and the coelop wall or the like with which the probe is in acoustic contact, or the like within the time until the locking is conducted, the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is irradiated to parts which are different from the object part.
Specifically, in the prior-art example, operation or work is required or necessary that the ultrasonic wave is scanned under the observation state, a position of the object part is detected from an observation image thereof, the ultrasonic transducer is set to a scanning position where the ultrasonic wave can be outputted with respect to the aforesaid position, and setting is made to a stage capable of outputting the therapeutic ultrasonic wave so as to be focused. In addition, since the scanning position is locked under the set state, the state becomes a state where the observation image cannot be acquired. For this reason, even if there is a change in state after having been set, it is impossible to confirm the change in state.
It is desirable in order to secure the safety as the therapy apparatus that, in case where the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is outputted, it is possible to confirm, from the ultrasonic observation image, or the like, that a focusing point of the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is set to the object part to be treated, or it is desirable to have equivalent function.
In the prior-art example, it is necessary to scan the ultrasonic wave in order to conduct the confirmation. The lock must be released in order for the scanning.
Further, in order to confirm the treated or cured state of the object part in case where the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is irradiated to conduct the high-temperature therapy, it becomes necessary to scan the ultrasonic wave to acquire the image.
In case where the therapeutic ultrasonic wave is irradiated to conduct the high-temperature therapy, it is necessary that an amount of irradiation is an adequate amount. If excessive irradiation is conducted, peripheral parts will also be treated in high temperature. For this reason, it is desirably confirm, by the ultrasonic observation image, whether or not, after the object part has been irradiated by an adequate amount of irradiation, the object part is treated in high temperature by the amount of irradiation.
In the prior-art example, also in case where the confirmation is conducted, it is necessary to change over to an observation state to conduct the scanning of the ultrasonic wave. Moreover, in case where irradiation is necessary, re-setting must be conducted to a positioning position.
Furthermore, there are many cases where, in the prior-art example, since the probe is rigid, it becomes difficult that the irradiation part which irradiates the ultrasonic wave, on the distal side of the probe is focused to the object part so as to be made to a state capable of irradiating. That is, since the ultrasonic wave is outputted to the side of the probe, in order to set the object part at least to the side of the probe, the insertion direction of the probe is restrained to a narrow range or scope. On the contrary, if the construction is a construction which has a curvature part at the insertion part, this restriction can remarkably be solved.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. SHO 62-127050 (127050/1987) discloses an ultrasonic endoscope which is provided with an ultrasonic probe of structure in which an observation ultrasonic transducer and a therapeutic ultrasonic transducer are arranged at a distal part of an endoscope insertion part such that their back-face sides are joined to each other, and both the ultrasonic transducers are mounted on a distal end of a shaft which is rotated.
The second prior-art example has the observation transducer and the therapeutic transducer. However, since the second prior-art example is of structure which is rotated about a common shaft, the therapeutic transducer is also rotated in case where the observation is conducted. Further, in order to conduct the therapy, it is necessary to stop scanning of the observation transducer. Accordingly, the second prior-art example has problems similar to those of the first prior-art example, except for a merit having the curvature part.